102-Year-Old World War II Navy Veteran Passes Away On Trip To Normandy For 80th Anniversary Of D-Day

Robert Persichitti served as a radioman in the Pacific Theater for the US Navy aboard the USS Eldorado during World War II. As one of the war's last surviving veterans, he was en route to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied Forces' momentous D-Day invasion last week. Sadly, while stopped off in Germany, Persichitti became ill and died after being airlifted to a hospital. CNN was among multiple outlets who reported the news, and their report shared what Persichitti's accompanying friend, Al DeCarlo, had to say about the 102-year-old veteran's final moments to 13WHAM. “The doctor was with him. He was not alone, he was at peace and he was comfortable...She put his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us.” It's some solace to know that Perischitti went out with somebody near him and his favorite artist playing in the background. Still, what difficult timing and just a sad situation that more of Perischitti's family couldn't be there, anticipating that they'd seeing him again once he made the pilgrimage to Normandy. Here's a key detail from the New York Post's story on Persichitti's death, which reveals that Perischitti honored fallen soldiers not just on Memorial Day, D-Day anniversaries, or other special occasions, but every single Friday. Unless he had his uniform on or some other attire specific to the D-Day tribute, it's quite possible Perischitti was wearing red on his last day on Earth. https://twitter.com/Michele_Tafoya/status/1798711390842363994 Living to triple digits and still being sharp and fit enough to travel is a testament to how well Perischitti took care of himself, even after enduring a World War and the taxing aftermath that comes with it. Per CNN's report, the Pennsylvania native was a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York, and earned a college degree from SUNY Buffalo after the war. It really is surreal to reflect on World War II and how heroes like Perischitti changed the course of history by prevailing. Had they not, we can only imagine how different the world would look — and it wouldn't be for the better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=invHoo3VS7U